Visible index



`I une 13, 1944. M. B. HALL 2,351,423

y VISIBLE INDEX Filed Aug. 24', 1942 Z7 z5 v /Zf Patented June 13, 1944 '11 VISIBLE INDEX Marchand B. Hall, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Acme Visible Records, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application August24, 1942, Serial No. 455,851

5 claims. (cries-16.7)

This invention relates to visible record systems or filing devices of the class wherein a plurality -of record or visible index cards are detachably held in a frame in overlapping relationship. More specifically the invention relates to new and improved means for hingedly mounting such cards.

It has been heretofore known to mount record cards or card holders by means of variousfforms of metallic clips or hinges, the hinges being in turn hingedly or swingably engaged to hangers mounted or adapted to be mounted onconventional frames. Likewise it has been known t mount card holders by means of similar metallic clips and hangers, or by stapling a holder to a flexible strip and providing the holder with a weakening line of perforations or apertures to provide hinge means.

vIt is an object of the present invention to provide simple and economical yet eiiicient means for hingedly mounting articles of the foregoing classes in a manner requiring the use of only a limited amount of metal.

Another object is to provide a hinge of the pocket type whereby a card provided with suitable tabs may be readily and removably engaged thereto, the hinge being adapted. to be formed of paper or the like fibrous material or other metal substitute such as sheeted plastic, the hinge being secured Ain free swingable engagement with a flexible hanger or mounting strip by means of a stitch or staple.

Other objects relate to details of construction and arrangement of parts which will be apparent from aconsideration of the following specification and drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a visible index record card in hinged engagement with a hanger strip illustrating one form of my invention.

I Fig. 2 is an enlarged blank development, including a side view, of the left-hand hinge element for supporting the card shown in Fig, 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates the blank shown in Fig. 2 in stitched or stapled engagement adjacent one end of the hanger.

Fig. 4 is a further detailed development illustrating the stapled blank of Fig. 3 folded along its major line of fold. l

-Fig. `5 is a further detailed development illustrating the partial closure of the lower edge of the hinge by means of a folded-over tab extension to form the completed swingable hinge element.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line B- of Fig. 4.

` Fig?? is asection on the line 1-1 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of an upper corner of the record shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detail of a hanger and a cardsimilar to that of Fig. 1 illustrating a modified form of swingable hinge element. Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 with the card corner in engagement with the swingable hinge element.

Fig. 11 is a blank development of the swingable hinge element shown in Figs. 9 and 10.v I

Fig. 12 is a section on the line |2|2 of Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawing and particularly Figs. 1 to 8, the reference numeral 20 indicates a record card in swingable engagement with the hanger 2| bymeans of a sleeve hinge element generally indicated as 22 secured to the strip 2|'by means of a staple 23.

The hanger 2| is a iiexible mounting strip of a class well known in the art and may be formed of suitable brous or other material of a flexible nature and adapted to be engaged to a suitable tray by projecting the ends of the hanger beneath a pair `of opposed longitudinal flanges of a tray in a conventional manner, whereby the cards are held in spaced overlapping relationship on the tray. For supporting the card in swingable engagement in accordance with this form of my invention, a pair of swingable hinge elements are adapted to engage the upper corners of the card, one of the hinge elements, namely the hinge adapted to engage the upper left-hand corner of the card, being illustrated in enlarged detail-in Figs, 2 to 5. The blank development of Fig. 2 illustrates that the hinge element may be formed of sheet material such as a heavy grade of paper o r light cardboard and in general comprises a rear section 24 and a forward section 25 separated by the fold line 25. The element is further provided on its fold line with a pair of spaced apart apertures 2l. Projecting fromthe longitudinal edge of the section 25 is a tab extension 28 separated therefrom by the minor line of fold 29.

The detail of Fig. 3 illustrates the means Whereby the hinge element 22 is engaged to the hanger 2|. Thus the hinge element 22 is engaged to the h anger 2| by means of a stitch or staple element 23 lying over thefold line 26 and spanning the aperture with the legs 3| extending freely through the aperture, and through the body of the hanger 2| and return bent so as to hold the element 22 in swingable engagement with the hanger 2|, the

element 22 is thereafter folded on its major line of fold 26 so that it is doubled over and in which position it is freely swingable with respect to the mounting hanger 2| through an angle of 180. As further illustrated in Fig. the tab extension 28 is thereafter folded rearwardly over the outer surface of section 24 and secured thereto by sealing so as to form a sleeve or pocket. It will, of course, be evident that the tab may extend from either section 24 or 25. The forward section 2'5 of the hinge element is preferably provided with an oblique cut away portion 3i) extending from about the base of tab 28 to a point intermediate the adjacent side edge of portion 25, that is, its lower free corner, in operative position, is cut away so as to expose a portion of the face of the rearward section 24.

The card is provided with a pair of slots 32 extending thereinto from its side edges adjacent the upper longitudinal edge of the card so as to provide ears 33. Thus the card 2i) may be engaged in swingable engagement with a hanger 2| by extending each of the ears 33 within a hanger element 22, this operation being facilitated by the cut away portion of the forward section r2li of the hinge element which permits ease of spacing these sections 24 and 25 to facilitate insertion of the ears 33 fully within the closed sleeve portion of the hinge element provided by the closure tab 28.

Referring to the modified form of construction illustrated in Figs. 9 to 12, I employ like flexible hanger elements 2| and like record cards 20 as shown in Figs. 1 to 8. However, the swingable hinge element for supporting the card 20 in swingable engagement with the hanger 2| is of somewhat modied construction and generally designated as 34. Fig. 11 illustrates a blank development of the right hand hinge element, comprising a rear face portion 35 and a forward face portion 36 separated by the line of fold 31. The forward face portion has an oblique cut away corner extending from intermediate its longitudinal edge t0 approximately the fold line 31, although it Will be understood that the-amount of the corner portion cut away is not critical but for a purpose similar to that illustrated and described with respect to Figs. 1 to 8. The element 34 is provided with a pair of spaced apart apertures 38 through the line of fold thereof, and is joined to a hanger 2| by means of a stitch or staple lying on the line of fold thereof with the staple legs extending freely through the apertures 38 and into the hanger 2l and in return bent engagement rearwardly of the hanger 2|, the Shank of the Staple 39 being preferably in loose or slightly spaced apart engagement from the fold of the element 34 so as to permit the element 34 to be in free swingable engagement with the hanger 2| when doubled over as illustrated in Fig. 9. A portion of the longitudinal meeting edges of the sections 35 and 35 are joined together by means .of a second staple 4| so as to form a sleeve or pocket within which the ears 33 of the card 20 may be inserted and thereby supported. The cut away portion of the face section 36 likewise exposes a portion of the rear section 35 and permits ease in insertion and ingress of the ear 33 between the folds of the swingab-le hanger element 34.

In general, however, it will be noted that all of the forms of my invention are provided with folded sheet means for supporting a card, the folded sheet means being a holder sleeve for supporting a bard, the sheet means being provided with spaced apart aperturesin the line of fold through which there extends a staple or a stitch to hold the folded card supporting sheet means in free pivotal or swingable engagement with a conventional flexible card hanger or mounting strip, the whole being accomplished by means which eliminate the use of metallic hinges or hinge clips and without the requirement for repeated exing of the folded sheet means which is preferably of paper -or light cardboard, or the weakening thereof by lines of perforation or aperture.

In the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 9 to 12 it will be noted particularly from the details of Fig. 11 that the pair of apertures '38 are in the form of elongated slots extending transversely of the line of fold 31 and bisected by the latter. If desired these apertures 38 may be in the form of apertures of circular outline as illustrated in the first form of my invention. Conversely the apertures 21 may be in the form of slots 38. Use of apertures similar to slots 38 is preferable in all forms in that the width of the vslot may be substantially equal to the thickness of the staple legs which extend through them. This eliminates any tendency to side-play of the folded elements with respect to the engaging l staple or mounting strip as is the case when cil.'- cular apertures are used since the diameter of the circular apertures must be at least twice that of the staple legs to prevent binding When the sheet is folded and the diameter is reduced to its radius in a direction at right angles to the line of fold.

I claim as my invention: l

1, Visible index record card mounting means comprising a folded strip of sheet material provided *with a pair of apertures in its line of fold the longitudinal edges thereof being at least partially sealed to provide a sleeve, a flexible mounting strip therefor', and a staple within said fold spanning said apertures, the legs of said staple extending freely through said apertures and in return bent engagement with said strip retaining said sleeve in swingable engagement with said strip.

2. Visible index record card mounting means comprising a flexible hanger strip, and a sleevelike card supporting element mounted adjacent each end thereof, each of said sleeve-likeelements comprising a. folded strip of sheet material provided with a pair of apertures in its line of fold and the longitudinal edges being at least partially sealed to provide an endwise open sleeve, each card supporting sleeve element being swingably engaged to said hanger strip by staple means within the fold thereof and spanning said apertures, the legs of said staple extending freely through said apertures and being in return bent engagement with said strip.

3. Visible index record card mounting means comprising a iiexible hanger strip, a sleeve-like card supporting element mounted adjacent each end thereof, each of said sleeve-like elements comprising a folded strip of sheet material provided with a pair of apertures in its line of fold and the longitudinal edges being at least partially sealed to provide an endwise open sleeve, each card supporting sleeve element being swingably engaged to said hanger strip by staple means within the fold thereof and spanning said apertures, the legs of said staple extending freely through said apertures and being in return bent engagement with said strip, and a record card supported by said sleeve-like elements, the record card being formed with slots extending into the sides thereof adjacent its upper marginal edge to define a pair of laterally extending ears, the said ears extending Within said sleeve elements to support the card for svvngable movement therewith.

4. Visible index record card mounting means comprising a folded strip of sheet material provided with a pair of apertures in its line of fold, the longitudinal edges thereof being at least partially sealed by a tab extending from one of said longitudina1 edges and folded over and secured against a face of the opposing sheet fold to provide a sleeve, a iiexible mounting strip therefor, and a staple Within said fold spanning said apertures, the legs of said staple extending freely through said apertures and in return bent engagement With said strip retaining said sleeve in swingable engagement with said strip.

5. Visible index record card mounting means comprising a folded strip of sheet material provided With a pair of apertures in its line of fold, the longitudinal edges thereof being at least partially sealed by stitch means to provide a sleeve, a flexible mounting strip therefor, and a staple within said fold spanning said apertures, the legs of said staple extending freely through said apertures and in return bent engagement with said strip retaining said sleeve in swingable engagement With said strip.

MARCHAND B. HALL. 

